


Blackened Dawn

by isausernamereallynecessary



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29943147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isausernamereallynecessary/pseuds/isausernamereallynecessary
Summary: Alexander Ironwood didn't have the most typical path in life for those in the Sinnoh region, even those that chose not to own any Pokémon. He did manage to become a Trainer, years later than most, but that's about the time when things started going severely wrong for him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the first piece of writing that I have produced, but I do have limited experience, and, hopefully, this will be the first story that I actually finish. Any and all advice or criticisms are welcome. You can be blunt, as long as you aren't needlessly rude about it.

Sage came out of his Pokéball angry, as he often did these days. He was sick and tired of being paraded around just so that his rich, simpering 'owners' could show off how rare and valuable he was. This time, one of them had made the mistake of being close by when he was released, and he wasted no time in leaping onto his chest and sinking his teeth into his shoulder. He was wearing a shirt of course, seemingly tougher than the usual silks, but it wasn't enough to stop his needle-sharp teeth from drawing blood.

There was a brief gasp of pain, then shuddering sobs as a pair of arms encircled him, crushing him in a hug, but somehow, this felt different. It almost seemed comforting, rather than possessive. It was at that point that he noticed several other details he'd overlooked in his original fury. 

The first was that they were outside, somewhere in a forest, and that it was nighttime. Why would they be here, instead of the opulent mansion that they were accustomed to? The second was that the shirt he was biting through was thick flannel, with a plaid pattern that the husband wouldn't be caught dead in, as well as just how far off of the ground he was. The third was that, choked with emotion as it was, the voice seemed familiar, as it repeated, over and over, "I'm so sorry, Sage."

He knew his name? But that meant…

He breathed in, and his jaw slackened in shock. He knew that scent, but he'd long ago given up any hope of smelling it ever again. He jerked back and leapt out of the arms that encircled him, vomiting even before he had fully landed. He rubbed his open mouth on the leaf litter of the forest floor, doing everything he could to get rid of the taste.

When he looked up, he was still there, several feet back, with tears running down his face. He made no move to come any closer, but there was a small bowl of water set out between the two of them. Sage stepped up to it and rinsed his mouth further, but the one he'd bitten backed further away, turning to a pack at the base of the nearest tree.

Sage recognized it, just as he did its owner, though time had changed him. His hair had grown long, he was at least four inches taller, and he now had a thick beard, but there was no denying that the man now pulling out a bandage for his wounded shoulder was indeed his real trainer. He moved slowly, not flinching as he sprayed disinfectant on the bite, trying his best to avoid spooking him further.

His ears and tail drooped as he watched, not daring to move anywhere until he'd finished. After pulling his shirt back on, he sat down, tears still running down his cheeks, looking at an oblique angle of Sage, and spoke, so softly that it was almost inaudible, even to the Eevee's sensitive ears. "I understand. You don't want anything to do with me, not after everything that you've been through because of me." Reaching for the ball that Sage had spent most of his time imprisoned in, he snapped it in half.

The jagged ends scraped his wrist, and he looked down at the oozing scratches with dull eyes. That scared Sage more than anything else that had happened since they'd last seen each other. He padded forward cautiously, and sniffed at the hand before licking it.

The man's eyes closed. "It's over, Sage. You should go before I hurt you again." He gestured weakly towards his left. "The Professor's lab is that way. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you again."

Sage's eyes narrowed. He could practically feel the despair rolling off of him, but wasn't sure what to do, since he seemed to be the cause of it. Looking more closely at his waist, he saw that there was still a ball there, with netting stretched over its blue top. Jaw dropping into a smile, he darted forward and pawed at it, releasing an old friend.

 _"What's up, who are we fighting…"_ the Buizel trailed off as he stared at him. _"Sage?!"_ Charging forward, the weasel practically collapsed on top of him, tails whirring in excitement. _"Man, is it good to see you again!"_ Pulling back, he glanced back at Alexander. _"Why doesn't he seem happy to have you back?"_

Sage winced. _"I thought he was someone else, and bit him. Now he thinks that I don't want anything to do with him, but I think he was leaning that direction even before he found me. What did they **do** to him, Bulrush?"_

He shuddered. _"They made him do something, I don't know what. You always understood him better than I did when he started talking about the science stuff. There was some sort of red stone that they wanted him to make more of. He didn't think he could, but they told him he couldn't see you until he was done, and,"_ he shuffled his feet, _"they started threatening to take me away if he didn't work harder."_

Sage felt his anger reignite. _"They didn't keep me in the first place; just sold me like something to be owned,"_ he growled.

Bulrush nodded guiltily. _"We didn't know that, then. Not until he was done, and now he blames himself for believing them, and not trying to leave and find you earlier."_

He blinked. _"Well that's stupid. He shouldn't blame himself for doing what he thought was right. They're the ones who lied."_

Bulrush shrugged helplessly. _"I've tried to tell him that, but my guy doesn't want to believe it. Could be because his family kicked him out when he tried to come back."_

_"They did what!?"_

_"I don't really know dude. We were going to see them, I went back in the ball, and then we were running through the marshes with people shouting and Growlithe barking. I don't wanna make any assumptions, but…"_

He'd heard enough. Turning away from his teammate, he leapt at his trainer. With his back against the tree, he couldn't lay across his shoulders like he used to, but he burrowed into his chest, pressing the top of his head under his chin. The beard tickled his nose, and he sneezed before settling down with a whine, low in his throat. His human clearly needed fixing, and he was going to offer whatever support he could.

The sobs returned once again, but they seemed more of relief than sadness. That was somewhere to start from, at least.


	2. Chapter 1

He all but hit the ceiling when he leapt out of bed, landing on one leg, hard enough to shake the house. Recovering his balance, he grabbed his … from the dresser, and winced. His father was away at a conference, but he really hoped that he hadn't woken his mother up at 5:30 on a Saturday.

Particularly not this Saturday.

There was a brief rustling from her room down the hall, but it quieted quickly. With any luck, she'd just think that he was taking another early morning run. Making his bed neatly, he tucked a note in the covers' fold.

Well, note might have been a bit of a misnomer. It was more of an essay spanning several pages that he’d been chipping away at for almost five years. He felt he’d finally hit all the right notes with this draft, sounding confident without drifting into aggression or arrogance, but making no efforts at apology. If they found anything that even resembled doubt, he’d never have a chance at true freedom.

With one last look back at his childhood bedroom, he hefted his backpack over one shoulder. He could walk all day with it, but running was probably out of the question. Creeping downstairs, he set it by the back door, then slipped into the kitchen to pull out the oats he'd left soaking. His sister joined him a minute later, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and they ate in uneasy silence.

She sat next to him on the mudroom bench as he laced his boots, intentionally drawing out the process to stay a little longer. Finally, she spoke, a barely audible quaver in her voice.

They're gonna be real mad, y'know."

He sighed resignedly. "I know. But it has to be now, before they make me start writing a thesis. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if they still had to pay tuition on top of everything. As it is, I'm hoping that the internship will placate them a bit." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he grinned wearily. "Besides, if they're furious with me, that's probably the best opportunity you'll have to get in their good graces. Just don’t let on that I told you anything ahead of time."

“He gave you an _official_ internship?" she whispered.

An unpaid one, but yeah. I think he's glad to have someone older than 13 helping him, without having to pay for any degrees."

Her face scrunched in confusion. “But you– “

He shook his head. “Irrelevant in these circumstances.”

“Well, the internship’s something, at least," she muttered, before fixing him with a pleading gaze. "You'll remember your promises?"

He idly rubbed the stubble along his jaw, wishing he'd had time to shave. "I might need to be out in the field more than we'd hoped, but I'll call as often as I can. And if, by some miracle, they're actually willing to listen, I'll try and sway them to your side." His face softened. "You're my little sister, 'lys. I'll always love you, no matter what."

She ducked out of the way of his half-hearted noogie, and hugged him tight. He returned the gesture, squeezing until she squeaked. They sat like that a minute more, the room slowly growing lighter, and then he forced himself to his feet.

“You'd better get back to bed. You'll need the sleep if you ever want to get big and tall like me. I'll call around 8 sometime this week. Can you be at the Center then?"

She gave a fluttering smile, knowing that’d never happen. She was too much like their mother, physically, at least. "Yeah, and you'd better not forget. I wanna hear all about whoever you choose."

He chuckled. "I'm sure they'll be just as eager to meet you. Bye, 'lys."

"Bye," she sniffed, visibly biting the inside of her lip.

He left quickly, only just avoiding slamming the door. He wanted to be out in the early morning mist before she noticed his own tears.

The professor had been surprisingly understanding of his situation, and had agreed to meet him a ways off of Route 212, to the west of town. There was a small meadow there, easily visible from the air, but almost unnoticeable on the ground. Of course, there was always the danger of wild Pokémon, but he wasn't particularly concerned, for the reason that had caught Rowan's attention in the first place.

Despite all the time he'd spent out running and hiking, he'd never been attacked, or even threatened. Most Pokémon he encountered seemed downright friendly. He'd stocked up on Repels, just to be safe, but he was smart enough to avoid anything that was already on a rampage. And so, when he made it to the clearing over an hour before the meeting, he thought nothing of laying down to make up for lost sleep. It didn't even cross his mind that he hadn't actually used any of his Repels.

He awoke some time later to a gruff voice that even his sleep-addled brain recognized. "Hrm. Alexander Ironwood, I presume?" His stomach sank as he looked up, and realized he'd overslept. He made to stand up, but the older man waved a hand. It was hard to make out his expression behind the bushy moustache, but he seemed completely serious as he said, "No, no. Stay there. You look far too comfortable to move. I'll admit to being a bit confused, though. I believe you mentioned in our correspondence that you had no Pokémon of your own."

If Rowan was confused, he was baffled. "I- I don't, sir."

He grimaced. "Professor, if you must, but not sir. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical of your claims, but if that one," he said, nodding towards Alexander's torso, "isn't yours, then perhaps you weren't exaggerating."

What on Earth d- Oh!" Gazing down, he saw a mass of silver and white fur curled up on his stomach, snoring softly. He goggled at the Eevee. "I didn't think that there were any wild ones in Sinnoh," he whispered, almost reverently.

There are a few isolated populations, but that's still a very rare find, even without the color variation. Here," he said, passing over a Pokéball. "Go ahead and catch it while it's asleep."

Alexander took the ball and raised it with every intention of using it. He knew just how rare an opportunity like this was… but it just didn’t feel right, at least from a moral standpoint. The Eevee was asleep, and Rowan clearly wanted him to do it, but he was setting out to make his own life, not continuing on a path that others had chosen.

He paused, and let his arm drop. "No."

One of Rowan's eyebrows crept towards his hairline. "If you'd rather not train it, that's one thing, but we still need to catch it in order to record baseline data. I don't have much use for an assistant who is incapable of following a direct request."

Alexander gulped. "Wi- with all due respect, he trusted me enough to fall asleep here. No matter how rare he might be, I'm not going to betray that trust."

The eyebrow lowered. "He?"

“In most mammalian species, the males are larger. It's hard to tell the size from this position, but I'd put the weight at 16 or 17 pounds, far enough above average to make that the most likely option."

“That’s not a particularly accurate method of measurement, is it now, though? I will ask you one last time. Do you intend to take the internship and follow my instructions, or not?”

“I’d certainly like to, but that’s a line I’m not willing to cross. If that means we can’t work together, so be it,” he said, confidence in his voice, though his pulse still thundered in his ears.

The professor closed his eyes, smiling, and let out a deep sigh of… contentment? "Congratulations on passing your ethics exam. I think I'm going to enjoy having you on the team, Ironwood."

Alexander stared at him, then glanced back down. "Your research focuses on evolution. He isn't wild, is he?"

“Not exactly, though his parents were. Trained might be a bit of a strong word to describe him though. I'd planned on using him to test you, but I didn't think he'd be comfortable enough to actually fall asleep." He raised his voice, and an ear twitched.

"Vui?" The Eevee raised his head, blinking blearily. Alexander's breath caught as their eyes met. They continued staring until Rowan cleared his throat, heads swiveling in unison.

“Alright, that’s enough. Come back, now.”

He squeaked defiantly, tucking his head back against Alexander’s chest.

“I think that he’s inclined to stay put,” he said, picking the Eevee up as he stood. When he tried to hand him back to Rowan, there was a grey blur of motion, and he wound up draped across the back of his neck. “Does he have a Pokéball? I don’t think he’ll go back, otherwise.”

“He doesn’t, but we can come back to that later,” Rowan said, giving him a once-over. “Your letters never mentioned just how tall you were.”

“Sorry, Professor,” he said hesitantly. “I didn’t think that it was particularly relevant.”

“It's extremely relevant,” he replied, and this time, Alexander caught the undertone of mirth. “How am I going to act like I’m the one in charge when I have to look straight across at you, instead of glowering down?”

“I hadn’t considered that. My apologies, but I’m likely to continue growing.”

“Really now.” He seemed genuinely taken aback. “And how tall is your father?”

“Six and a half feet, but the last six inches came after he was twenty, so I could easily end up taller.”

“I’ll have to make sure you’re off at school by that point, then. I can’t even think about looking up to you until you have at least one graduate degree.” The minute smile wasn’t easily visible under the facial hair, but it was there nonetheless.

Alexander laughed along, nervously.

“But that’s far down the road, yet. For now, as we discussed earlier, your responsibilities will essentially be a scaled-up version of what I ask of the younger Trainers assisting me. Do you have a way to send your observations in?”

“Yes, I do have a few carbon-paper notebooks. I can forward the copies whenever I’m at a Center.”

“That will suffice for this preliminary period, but we’ll have to see about getting you some kind of device in addition to the Pokédex, so that you can send in more regular, detailed reports.”

“I’d appreciate that, Professor. Now, what were you planning to do about him?” he asked, motioning to the Eevee, who seemed to have fallen asleep again.

"Well," he hedged, scratching at his moustache, "I'd planned to take him back to the lab with me, but he's obviously formed some sort of connection with you. This is the first time that he's shown such an independent streak, and I'd hate to take away a chance for personal growth from anyone, human or Pokémon. I know that you'd expected to get one of the usual starters, but what would you say to taking him instead?"

"So, you're saying that he's been a pushover all this time?" he asked, reaching up to scratch behind one of the Eevee's ears. He hummed, leaning into the touch.

"Oh, no, pushover definitely isn't the right word," Rowan chuckled. "As you've seen, he makes it very clear when he wants, or doesn't want, to do something. It was more that most anything we wanted to try seemed to suit him perfectly fine. The only thing he ever really put up a fight on was being caught, but something tells me he might have changed his stance on that."

"Is that right?" he asked the Eevee, whom he was now certain was only pretending to sleep. "You'd like to come along with me now?" He held up the Pokéball that Rowan had tossed him, only a few inches away from his head.

He pulled back, looking at it distrustfully with raised hackles. Alexander continued scratching, looking into his eyes as best he could at the awkward angle, and the fur slowly laid flat again.

"I don't intend to keep you stuck in there near all the time, like some Trainers do, but I need to at least have the option to keep you safe if you get hurt, and that does mean you have to go in willingly this one time."

He sniffed the ball warily, then cautiously stretched out a paw to tap the button. He used more force than Alexander had been expecting, and he ended up dropping it to the ground, where it settled after rolling back and forth a few times, flashing once to confirm the capture. As he bent down to pick it up, it burst open, the Eevee glancing at it disdainfully.

He laughed as he stood back up, slipping the ball onto the holster inside his windbreaker. "Look at that, would you? I can't keep you in there unless you want to be kept, so no worries."

"Vui!" he scoffed, kicking some dirt over where it had landed, before clambering back up to his shoulder, standing upright this time.

Both men laughed again. "Like seeing things from a higher point of view, do you, Sage?" Alexander asked, squirming slightly as his cheek was nuzzled. That fur really tickled.

"Sage?" Rowan asked, eyebrow cocked yet again. "And how exactly did you come up with that name?"

He shrugged, getting an earful as he nearly caused Sage to lose his balance again. "Whoops, sorry 'bout that. You said he was easygoing, but always made up his own mind in the end. It just seemed to fit."

"It most certainly does. I'm merely surprised because that is actually what we've been calling him, yet I'm certain that I hadn't mentioned that to you in this conversation once."

"That is odd," he agreed, furrowing his brow. "Hm."

"Now there's a look I like to see on my researchers," Rowan said. "Was there anything else, or are you set to get started? I do need to get going soon; there's someone I need to meet and try to get a grant from."

"Just one thing," he said, turning to his pack and pulling out a small journal. "Is there another email account or phone number that I should be using, aside from the official ones? I'd imagine they can get a bit cluttered at times."

"Very good of you to think of that, I'd nearly forgotten," he humphed, rattling them off. "Once we get you that laptop, you'll have your own account on our internal system, but for now, these will suffice. Just make sure that you do only log in on it, instead of public computers, and only use it for work. I had one assistant once… troubled fellow."

"Alright, that's everything then. I just want to thank you again for taking a chance on me, since I don't exactly fit in either of the categories you normally pull from" he said, beginning to reach out for a handshake before correcting himself and giving a brief bow instead.

"Ah, I'd nearly forgotten that you're originally Unovan," he said, proffering the aborted handshake. "And it genuinely is my pleasure. Your unique scenario opens up a few new possibilities that I'm very excited about. Please do try to send in your reports somewhat regularly, though. I'm aware of the rigors of field work, but if I don't hear from you for over a month, we'll need to have a discussion about that."

"Shouldn't be a problem." He shook the professor's hand and slipped the journal into his pack, leaving Sage on the ground while he hefted it onto his shoulders and buckled the waist strap. The Eevee wasn't in sight when he looked around, but soon jumped down from a branch overhead, causing him to stagger. "Yep, you're definitely a climber."

Rowan gave one last wave after clambering onto the back of his Staraptor, then took off. He watched him go for a while, then turned his attention back to his Pokémon.

"Now, I didn't want to sound absolutely insane in front of him, but the chances of me deciding that your name would be what you're already accustomed to responding to are ludicrously small. Sage, did you try to tell me your name? And more pressingly, did I somehow understand you, at least on a subconscious level?"

He chirped affirmatively, jaw dropping into a grin, before settling down for another nap. 

Alexander spent a long time just looking at him, before shaking himself out of the reverie and starting down the trail back to Route 212. He'd had his chance to travel delayed for far too long, and there was no sense in putting it off any further. It was his own life, and he was finally ready to start living it, instead of the one that had been planned for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are at the first chapter proper, where we get to see our main character get his start, as well as a general idea of his background. Already had most of this one written, so the second chapter will take longer, unless I get a sudden rush of inspiration at midnight, which I won't rule out.

**Author's Note:**

> As a heads up before you head into the first chapter, this prologue was set in the middle of the story. The first chapter takes it from the beginning, and the story will eventually reach this place again. Hope no one gets too confused or annoyed by it. Thanks for taking the time to read.


End file.
